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  • Smart Cars

    I think I'm interested in getting one of them once I get a steady job. Manolo just demo'd one on this morning's news (probably the only segment of his I paid attention to).

    Does anyone know if it can be driven on the freeway at legal speeds? (aka it won't sputter like the Scion xA)
    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

  • #2
    Re: Smart Cars

    You're talking about the Smart Fortwo, right? I like them, but for that kind of money, I'd buy a Scion tC and save myself the extra 2 or 3 grand.

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    • #3
      Re: Smart Cars

      If this is what you're talking about:

      http://starbulletin.com/2007/06/13/b...s/story01.html

      Yeah, they're freeway-legal.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Smart Cars

        Something like these "Rapid Urban Flexible" (RUF) vehicles also make sense in congested areas of large cities. You get the convenience of being in your own car while saving gas and getting to where you need to go efficiently without the gridlock you encounter these days. Of course, it means everyone would have to convert to this system eventually, which could take decades.

        Miulang
        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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        • #5
          Re: Smart Cars

          Originally posted by dick View Post
          If this is what you're talking about:

          http://starbulletin.com/2007/06/13/b...s/story01.html

          Yeah, they're freeway-legal.
          but can they "keep up" with the other cars? (and do the speed limit?)

          (or am I underestimating the power of those small cars?)
          How'd I get so white and nerdy?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Smart Cars

            Originally posted by dick View Post
            If this is what you're talking about:

            http://starbulletin.com/2007/06/13/b...s/story01.html

            Yeah, they're freeway-legal.
            $27K? Damn! I thought they were about $20K, which I still felt was too expensive.




            Originally posted by adrian View Post
            but can they "keep up" with the other cars? (and do the speed limit?)
            Yeah, they should be able to do the speed limit no problem. You really want to spend close to $30K on one of those?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Smart Cars

              i saw quite a few of these cars on the highway while visiting my aunt up in canada. i think they're cool.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Smart Cars

                Originally posted by zff View Post
                You really want to spend close to $30K on one of those?
                Why not? You can fit a couple of those cars in a regular parking space, and for a single person like me, its perfect - I don't need to waste empty space on what I don't need.

                I wonder how a claustrophobic would feel in that car?
                How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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                • #9
                  Re: Smart Cars

                  Originally posted by adrian View Post
                  Why not? You can fit a couple of those cars in a regular parking space, and for a single person like me, its perfect - I don't need to waste empty space on what I don't need.

                  I wonder how a claustrophobic would feel in that car?
                  You'd only feel it if you were sandwiched in between an SUV and an 18-wheel semi, driving in rain that was coming down horizontally with your windshield wipers malfunctioning. True story. Happened to me one time when I was driving in a rental Neon on a freeway in Pennsylvania.

                  Miulang
                  "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Smart Cars

                    A couple of summers ago I was in England and Holland and saw them everywhere. Perfect for London. I even went into a showroom and stocked up on literature.
                    Burl Burlingame
                    "Art is never finished, only abandoned." -- Leonardo Da Vinci
                    honoluluagonizer.com

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                    • #11
                      Re: Smart Cars

                      I dunno why the link said it will cost $27k and up. Smart USA said it will cost between $12k to $17k.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Smart Cars

                        Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
                        I dunno why the link said it will cost $27k and up. Smart USA said it will cost between $12k to $17k.
                        Dealer markup?

                        Miulang
                        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Smart Cars

                          Originally posted by dick View Post
                          If this is what you're talking about:

                          http://starbulletin.com/2007/06/13/b...s/story01.html

                          Yeah, they're freeway-legal.
                          Since you photographed the car, Dick, what did you think of it? I dunno...I think I'd want a lot more metal surrounding me on the freeway.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Smart Cars

                            Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
                            I dunno why the link said it will cost $27k and up. Smart USA said it will cost between $12k to $17k.
                            i think the difference is bcs green machine, at the moment, is bringing in smartcars & converting them. when smart opens their own dealerships next year, they'll be doing the conversions themselves.

                            or at least that's what it sounds like:

                            "They aren't scheduled to officially hit the U.S. until early next year, but importers are already shipping the cars from Europe to conversion shops, which tailor them to U.S. safety and environmental standards."

                            i'd heard about the smart cars back in 2003 when my aunt, who lives in hong kong but travels extensively, told me about them. since then, i'd visted the smartusa website maybe once every six months or so. i found them rather tempting, actually.

                            eric & i saw a black smartfortwo on H-1 in weekday morning traffic somewhere between the 10th ave and university onramps earlier this year. it made a nearby MINI look...well, not so mini. driver of the smart was a middle aged white guy, grinning all the while. definitely, it's a headturner. i think i jacked up my neck from the rubbernecking i did. it's rather like the rubbernecking i remember people used to do for the new beetle and the MINI when they came out, cept maybe worse. besides the driver of the smartcar and eric and i, i doubt many on the freeway knew what that tiny little eggshaped car was all about.

                            speeds go up to 90 mph, which, if you're mostly a commuter, is all you'd need. if you already feel claustrophobic in a MINI cooper or an aveo or a yaris then definitely you'd feel claustrophobic in a smartfortwo.

                            adrian--if i were you, i'd wait until smart opens a dealership in hawaii before you buy. otherwise, the price that it is now just isn't worth it, even with the gas savings.

                            by the way, anyone know of someone who bought one of those GEM cars? i know someone whose niece owns a GEM but she got a ticket for not paying for metered street parking. i thought metered street parking was supposed to be completely free if you have a GEM.
                            superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                            "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                            nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

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                            • #15
                              Re: Smart Cars

                              First...get a job.
                              http://thissmallfrenchtown.blogspot.com/
                              http://thefrenchneighbor.blogspot.com/

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